Stone Cold Fox (6)
“I find it to be an exciting career,” I answered Gale. “We have a lot of fun at the office, all sorts of clients, which keeps things interesting. And, obviously, it led me to Collin, which is nothing to sniff at either.” I grinned at my boyfriend, going in for the sweet and obligatory peck on his thin lips, to make the men in our company jealous and the women internally groan. Collin gazed at me like I was the queen to his king, visibly proud that I belonged to him.
At the same moment, Gale noticeably flinched, showing her hand.
So she was still in love with Collin.
Oh, now my ears were up, my heart was aflutter. Some recreational sport presenting itself? Excellent.
“That’s right,” Gale continued. “Collin is your client, isn’t he?” She took a sip of dark beer. A curious poison for a woman, considering the physical ramifications. Mother would say something about beer being the kind of libation that could settle on a woman’s thighs until the end of time if she was not careful with the frequency. I could hear her voice again and needed to snap out of it. Focus.
“Correct. One of many clients.”
“But the only one you’re sleeping with, I hope.”
“Gale, stop!” Collin reprimanded her jovially with a good-natured scoff, and the table laughed, including me. What else could I do? It was all but necessary to be deemed affable, which was the whole purpose of the charade. Collin would be getting reviews by the end of the evening, and these were the people he cared about, so I wanted raves.
“Yes, Collin is the only client I’m currently bedding,” I said, careful to use tasteful yet evocative language in Gale’s presence to further twist the knife. “But that’s because he was special. Most of my clients are bald and boring with little imagination, which tends to be why they hire the agency. Nothing like you, babe.”
I ruffled Collin’s hair playfully and then swept it back out of his face so we could exchange an intimate look for all to see. His tresses were finally getting longer, so he was getting better-looking.
“Oh, Gale, on that note, I could set you up with one of them, if you like? I hear you’re still single. How could that possibly be?”
Even the wives and girlfriend clearly appreciated my wily burn disguised as good-natured jest. Hannah squeezed Elizabeth’s knee under the table while Paisley stifled a small laugh. Their bony shoulders shook to keep laughter inside, their buoyant medium-length blowouts bobbing up and down, all but giving it away. They glanced at Gale for her reaction and then quickly looked elsewhere—clearly she wasn’t part of their little gaggle of gal pals. Gale didn’t even acknowledge their poorly repressed reactions at her expense because she knew the truth, too. Their forced camaraderie was only a technicality based on proximity. She took another sip of her beer, buying herself a moment to decide what to say next.
“Thanks, Bea, but I’m actually seeing someone,” Gale said, surprising all of us at the table. Satisfied, she pushed her hair back behind her ears. It was far too long and a muted brown, in definite need of some highlights for dimension if she actually cared, which she obviously didn’t. Must be nice to not have any of your self-worth wrapped up in appearances. So much space for so many other things. Intriguing if not altogether confounding to someone like me, whose priority of the physical was always nonnegotiable.
“Who?” Collin was the first to inquire. A little too quickly. In fact, he seemed to be the only one present with a true affection for Gale. A character flaw I’d just have to overlook, much like his narrow shoulders.
“A coworker introduced us a little while ago. We’ve been on a few dates and it’s going pretty well.” Gale searched his face for even a modicum of jealousy but came up short. In fact, Collin looked delighted by the news.
“That’s an exciting development. Do we know the guy?” Collin asked, and I knew what he meant. Was this alleged boyfriend of Gale’s one of them?
“No, probably not, but Bea might.” Gale’s eyes narrowed at me, a predator closing in on her prey, as if I were some other girl she could reasonably dangle about for fun. “He went to Duke.”
“Oh, is that right?” My hackles were only moderately raised, since I was prepared for such a discussion. I was not at all surprised that the subject of where we attended university came up so immediately into our carousing. This crowd touted their distinguished degrees like they’d been earned as opposed to being purchased by their respective legacies, alongside libraries and laboratories emblazoned with the family name.
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, animated. Hannah, Elizabeth and Paisley were watching us go back and forth, each of them rapt, with white wine in hand, one leg primly crossed over the other. “But the funny thing was that he said he wasn’t familiar with you. That’s a little strange, isn’t it? Being such a small school?” Her eyes narrowed even further as she smiled at me, smug, her top lip all but disappearing into her teeth.
“I wouldn’t call Duke small,” I replied. “I mean, yes, there’s a community, but I can’t say I know every person that waltzed through campus during my tenure.”
“Well, he recognized your name, but not your face.”
Someone had done her research. My back arched in anticipation. Chest up, ears perked, fully captivated.
“You showed your new boyfriend a photo of me before we even met?” I asked coolly. “Gale, I’m so flattered. Clearly, we’re destined to be the greatest of friends, just like Collin said we would be.” Collin had said nothing of the sort.